An enormous wind energy mission off the coast of New York blew previous President Trump’s govt order to dam or pause all new wind vitality leasing in federal waterways — which opponents declare will destroy aquatic life and the business fishing trade.
Norway-based Equinor, which already had all the mandatory lease and allow approvals from the feds earlier than Trump’s January 20 govt order went into impact, confirmed that it has began building on the web site — laying rock as the inspiration for the large 54 wind generators — 15 miles off the coast of Lengthy Seashore.
Equinor will ship the facility by connecting to Con Edison’s electrical grid through a cable hyperlink from the ocean flooring to the substation on the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal in Sundown Park.
The “Empire Wind 1″ mission — which can energy 500,000 properties — has the sturdy backing from each Mayor Eric Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul, partly to assist meet the targets of the bold state local weather change regulation mandating 100% zero-emission electrical energy by 2040 and the phasing out of fossil fuels by 2050.
The president has made it clear he’s not a fan of wind energy, saying, “We’re not going to do the wind thing. Big, ugly windmills, they ruin your neighborhood.”
“They destroy everything, they’re horrible, the most expensive energy there is,” Trump stated.
“They ruin the environment, they kill the birds, they kill the whales.”
The fishing trade additionally claims offshore wind farms are harmful scorching air.
“The whole fishing industry economy could be lost,” stated Bonnie Brady, govt director of the Lengthy Island Industrial Fishing Affiliation.
“A comprehensive review from the Trump administration is needed to make fishing great again.”
Industrial fisheries scoop up and reel in scallops, squid and fluke within the space the place the wind generators are being erected.
“We can’t coexist with offshore wind power. It would be like steaming into a death trap,” Brady stated.
Offshore wind farms can intrude with navigational radar utilized by ships and smaller vessels to keep away from collisions, posing challenges for protected maritime navigation, a 2022 report launched by the Nationwide Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medication discovered.
Trump’s govt order bans or restricts new offshore wind farms in federal waterways — however it didn’t explicitly halt tasks that had already been accepted with federal leases and permits, as is the case with Equinor’s Empire Wind 1 mission.
“This withdrawal temporarily prevents consideration …for any new or renewed wind energy leasing for the purposes of generation of electricity or any other such use derived from the use of wind,” the order states.
However the edict provides, “Nothing in this withdrawal affects rights under existing leases in the withdrawn areas.”
Trump additionally referred to as for an “immediate review of federal wind leasing and permitting practices.”
The US Division of Inside’s Bureau of Ocean Vitality confirmed that the Empire Wind mission acquired accepted underneath the wire — having obtained all needed approvals a 12 months earlier than Trump’s govt order went into impact.
“BOEM approved the Construction and Operations Plan for the Empire Wind project on February 21, 2024, about a year before the Presidential memorandum,” the federal regulatory company stated.
“BOEM is implementing President Trump’s memorandum of January 20, 2025, temporarily withdrawing the Outer Continental Shelf from offshore wind leasing. The memorandum also pauses new or renewed approvals, rights-of-way, permits, leases, or loans for offshore wind projects pending a review of federal wind leasing and permitting practices.”
Brady, the fishing group advocate, stated the wind generators could possibly be seen from the coast line, which Equinor didn’t dispute.
A rep for the agency stated turbine visibility will rely on the climate, exercise within the business transport lanes between the lease space and shore and different variables.
Jacob Riis Park within the Gateway Leisure Space, for instance, is about 21 miles from the turbine mission.
The Equinor spokesman confirmed that building was underway to construct the inspiration for the Empire Wind 1 mission
“Empire Wind 1 is already under development and will provide a critical source of energy to meet increasing electricity demand. Equinor has secured all necessary federal permits and will continue to comply with those permits,” the rep stated.
“Marine operations for Empire Wind 1 resumed this spring, with rock laying taking place this month. Construction continues at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal, where more than 1,500 workers are revitalizing the long-neglected port.”
Equinor didn’t focus on the destiny of “Empire Wind 2” — the second part — of its offshore wind farm, suggesting will probably be shelved due to Trump’s govt order.
